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Re: tomorrow vs. by tomorrow

[QUOTE=sumon.;829634]
Hi TheParse
Can you describe why future continuous tense has been used but why not future tense ?
Such as, I will not call you today.

NOT A TEACHER

(1) I have checked my books, and I have some information to share with you.

I do NOT claim that my ideas are correct.

(2) (a) I will not call you today.

(b) I will not be calling you today.

(3) Here are some observations:

(a) Probably both would be "correct."

(b) 2a sounds too strong because of the word "will." It sounds like a promise. In fact, I think that it sounds almost like: I refuse to call you today.

(c) As one expert said, the future progressive is "softer." It only refers to something in the future. It is not a promise. It is just a statement about the future.

(d) Another expert uses the term "matter of course." That is, something that happens naturally and regularly. For example, at 8 p.m. every night, I will be sleeping. (I am an old man who goes to bed early. That's why I am typing this at 4 a.m.!)

(e) So 2b is something like a matter of course. I am simply (only) telling you about the future. Just as I will be sleeping at 8 p.m., I will not be calling you today.

(f) Two experts point out that the future progressive is more polite.

(i) Let's say that someone borrows $100 from you:

(ia) When will you pay back the money?
(ib) When will you be paying back the money?

(ia) is rather rude. It sounds like: Hey! When am I getting my money, dude!
(ib) is more tactful. That is, it refers to a "matter of course." (I know that you always pay back any money that you borrow, so I am just politely asking when I can expect the $100.)

My two main sources:

L.G. Alexander, Longman English Grammar (1988), p. 180.

Randolph Quirk and others, A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (1985), pp. 216 - 217.